Pakistan's President Musharraf to meet French counterpart Sarkozy

22nd January 2008, 0 comments

President Pervez pledged in Brussels that elections next month in his crisis-ridden country will be free and fair

Jan 22, 2008 (AFP) - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf preparedfor talks Tuesday with French President Nicolas Sarkozy after pledging inBrussels that elections next month in his crisis-ridden country will be freeand fair. Musharraf, who arrived in Paris late Monday from the Belgian capital on thesecond leg of a European tour, urged Europe to back, not criticise his regimeas it stood in the forefront of the fight against terrorism. "We are determined to hold free, fair and transparent elections, andpeaceful elections" on February 18, he said as he began a four-nation Europeantour in Brussels. "Whoever wins, obviously power will be handed over to them," he added,"there is no possibility of it being rigged." Musharraf came with economy and finance ministers in tow, but EU foreignpolicy chief Javier Solana was cautious about the path of future cooperation. "The elections have to be fair, free and secure, which is also veryimportant," Solana said after the two men talked over lunch. "Our reaction on cooperation and the level of engagement will be in view ofthe result of the process," he added. During an address at the European parliament later Musharraf called forsupport not criticism. "Pakistan is in the forefront of fighting terrorism, so help us instead ofcriticising us," he urged during an audience with the parliament's foreignaffairs committee. Pakistan is in a political crisis exacerbated by the assassination lastmonth of opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, whichsparked violence and led to the general election being postponed. Musharraf bluntly rejected any accusation that the Pakistan authoritieswere involved in the killing. "Such conspiracy theories are trash," he told the committee, "Pakistan isnot a banana republic." The Pakistani president said that Islamist tribal leader and warlordBaitullah Mehsud had "targeted Benazir Bhutto, and also more suicide bombingsare down to this man". Speaking earlier at a breakfast meeting with journalists, NGOs and businessleaders, he spoke of an "obsession" with democracy in the West. "You have taken centuries to reach where you have come. Allow us time forgoing for the value that you have reached for yourself," he asked. Musharraf acknowledged tensions in Pakistan which could prompt those wholose the elections to cry foul, but he underlined: "Whatever bugs we have hadin the system have been removed." NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who also held talks withMusharraf, said the Pakistani leader was "part of the solution and certainlynot part of the problem". "We are fighting the same terrorists that are trying to destabiliseAfghanistan and Pakistan," he added. On the US-led "War on Terror" Musharraf admitted that it was a "very, verytough fight" but added "we are on the winning side" against Al-Qaeda. "When we attack them now we see only a few of them in all the targets thatwe attack," he said. However, on a trip aimed at drumming up economic and political support, hestressed that foreigners and foreign companies were not the target of violencein his country. From France Musharraf will continue his eight-day European tour byattending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, before his final legin London.